5 Things You Need to Know About the Soloist Type Imposter Syndrome
We know that the impostor syndrome can affect anyone, men as well as women. It’s also a common experience especially for those who are new to the role of being in leadership or management. In fact, according to research by Dr. Valerie Young, 75% of all high-achieving women have experienced it at least once in their careers — and that includes people like Chaka Khan, Michelle Obama, and Beyoncé!
What Is Soloist Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a term coined by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in 1978 to describe an internalized belief that one does not deserve success, regardless of how much success you’ve actually achieved. The term “imposter” is used to denote those who are successful but feel like frauds because they believe themselves to be fooling others into thinking they’re more intelligent or capable than they really are.
This can have a negative impact on your career, mental health, relationships, self-esteem, and self-confidence — but there are ways you can overcome the feeling of being an imposter if it’s affecting your day-to-day life.
During her work with women of color, it was Dr. Valerie Young who identified 5 types of impostor syndrome. These types were based on the beliefs you have about your competency.
This is my 4th article in a series of five about the types of imposter syndrome. You can read my previous articles about impostor syndrome here 6 Tips To Overcome the Perfectionist type Imposter Syndrome, and here 5 Signs You Have the Superwoman Type Impostor Syndrome, and here The Natural Genius-Perfectionist Imposter Syndrome: Undermining Yourself and How to Overcome It.
This article is about the five things you need to know about the soloist type (also called the rugged individualist) impostor.
1. The Soloist type impostor syndrome is characterized by an individualist who believes she has to do everything on her own.
2. She doesn’t ask for help, because she feels afraid that she will appear weak by asking for help from others.
3. The fact that women are socialized to play small, for example, not put anyone out, or be a bother to people, plays into the Soloist impostor syndrome.
4. You may also really struggle with delegation, because “I have to” do it all myself so everyone sees me as competent.
5. And when you do “limp” across the finish line, and complete the project, then the negative thoughts come in a deluge. “I barely made it.” “This would have been easy for everyone else.” “That was so incredibly hard, that everyone probably knows I’m a fraud and I don’t belong here.”
How to Resolve the Soloist Imposter Syndrome
What you need to understand if you struggle with the soloist type impostor syndrome is that your aptitude is not synonymous with the ability to know everything and do everything on your own. It is much more advantageous if you actually know how to access resources.
Examples of resources include:
A. Research
B. Ability to realistically evaluate the time it takes tasks and projects to be completed
C. Ability to effectively train and/or delegate to subordinates
D. Mentors
E. Sponsors
F. Supervisors
G. Know who the subject matter experts (SME) in your organization
H. Fellow coworkers (as long as they are competent!)
I. Previous coworkers who held the job before you did (as long as they’re trustworthy)
J. Career coach
Obviously, you need to be in a work environment that’s not toxic, and where you feel comfortable asking for help. And a work environment where you are not penalized for asking for help, clarification, or assistance when you access each of the resources above.
Being confident and assertive is key to your success
This is something I used to tell my students when I taught middle and high school science:
“You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You don’t even need to know everything. You just need to know how to access it when you don’t know it.”
Did you know there are two definitions of intelligence:
Crystallized Intelligence is knowledge that we have gain from when we study and learn new things. Think of it as previously learned knowledge or information, or “book smart”.
Fluid intelligence is where we have to think outside of the box to solve unknown problems and situations. Think of ingenuity, thinking abstractly, street smart, or being flexible and adaptable.
You no doubt have both types of intelligence. You are intelligent based on what you learned from your degree and any courses or training you’ve had on the job. You also have the ability to be ingenuitive, some days you are answering things on your own by thinking outside of the box. Other days it’s tossing it the SME, project team members, or your subordinates by asking questions. In other words, you don’t need to go it alone to feel or be seen as competent.
Do you feel like you’ve tried everything to resolve impostor syndrome and it hasn’t worked? One of the best ways to jump-start resolving impostor syndrome is increasing your mental fitness. Rather than feeling like you are never enough, can’t seem to know enough, all of which can lead to doubting and criticizing yourself, you build your mental fitness muscles.
Building your mental fitness ultimately leads to increased peace of mind, more time spent in your peak performance zone, and healthier relationships. And it doesn’t take the next one, two, or even three years to achieve. All it takes is seven short weeks of easy, doable exercises. About 15 minutes a day for you to resolve doubt, self-criticism, and increase confidence. The more confidence you have, the longer period you spend in your peak zone and the healthier your relationships are.
It all starts by identifying the saboteurs that are interrupting your life with doubt, feelings of not being good enough, and self-criticism. You do that by completing a short Saboteur Assessment which you can access here . You can also learn more about the 7-Week Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness program by clicking here.
I’d love the opportunity to answer any questions you have, and you can always email me at twanna@twannacarter.com.
